Poseidon's Hidden Tomb
by FiresFromOurHearts
Summary: Bill Weasley goes on a curse-breaking adventure in Greece.


_Written for Auction - Gods/Goddesses: Poseidon - Word count: 1514_

**_So, maybe it doesn't quite fit the prompt... but Poseidon is a large part of the plot, so maybe it does._**

* * *

Bill Weasley has travelled to many places as part of Gringotts' curse-breaking team. He has, though, never been to Greece. For the most part, he's been stationed in Egypt with the expedition focussing on breaking through the innumerable wards and curses in many of the pyramids. He can't regret his time there. It had certainly been education if nothing else, and he'd learnt so much about wards and curses and the culture. In a way, the harsh sun and hot days and cool nights had almost been home for him, even though his family wasn't there.

"Mister Weasley?" His current guide – who is part of the expedition that he's joining – calls out.

With an apologetic look, Bill turns to face her. "Bill, please," he reminds his guide, who only smiles in response.

"Are you ready to descend to Atlantis now, or do you wish to take in the sights?" Thalia Antonis asks.

Glancing around one last time, Bill shakes his head. "We can go down now," he answers. After all, Gringotts is employing him to break curses and wards, not sightsee. Besides, he can always come back up to the surface at a later date.

Thalia smiles, once again. "Come, then, the boat is this way," she says, leading him further down the pier.

"How do you go below the sea by boat?" Bill asks curiously as he follows.

"You will see," Thalia replies cryptically. "Atlantis is very much magic, and so we get there by magic. There are, of course, other ways to reach Atlantis, but most tourists and newcomers arrive by boat. Hippocampi travel is rather unusual for those who do not live around Greece. You will get used to it in time, I am sure, since you are here to help with Poseidónas Olympiakoi tomb."

"Is that the correct pronunciation?" Bill asks, immediately intrigued by Thalia's dictation of Poseidon Olympian. "I've been saying it as Poseidon Olympian all this time, although I suppose that is the angelized version of it."

Thalia inclines her head. "We call him as his name is meant to be – Poseidónas Olýmpios. Well, as close as we can get, since Ancient Greek is a dead language, for all that we can still read and write it. Come, we must go below deck."

Bill nods and follows Thalia below the ship's deck, looking around at the wood. He frowns, spotting runes decorating the otherwise plain ship. Closing his eyes, he feels out with his magic, searching for the spells that cover the ship. He's surprised by how many he finds, and how they're weaved together. It's nothing like the tricky slipperiness of the Ancient Egyptians or the hard smoothness of the wards back home.

"Your warding style is quite different," he says to Thalia as he takes a seat next to her. "But," he pauses, tilting his head and concentrating, "I can find the similarities there."

"Impressive," Thalia says admiringly. Bill scratches the back of his neck, knowing that his cheeks are probably going bright red – along with the rest of his face. "Do you wish me to take you to tou Poseidóna tomb when we arrive? I am assuming you'd like to check it out first. Your quarters are relatively nearby where the others from the team are staying."

"Sounds good," Bill says, twisting in his seat to look out the window behind them as the ship starts moving. "Does anyone control this ship or is it all done with magic?"

Thalia laughs. "Some of the older ships have crewmembers, but this is one of the most recent models – a Kýma Apergós Eptá, and so doesn't need a crew. Once it's had an initial and final destination defined, it is capable of going back and forth multiple times before requiring a tune up."

"Kýma Apergós Eptá," Bill repeats, doing his best to not butcher the words, and only partially failing. "Wave Striker Seven, correct?"

"Xérete Elliniká?" Thalia immediately asks, leaning forward.

"Ahh," Bill blinks, and attempts to understand the question. "Merikoí," he answers. "Gia autó… ématha. It's a work in progress," he adds in English.

"Some is better than none," Thalia says. "Many don't learn a language when they come here. It would make things difficult for your job though, correct?"

"It certainly helps to have an understanding of the language," Bill agrees, "but, for the most part, it's more important to know the runes and general wards and curses used. However, I enjoy learning languages, and so I thought I might as well. I'm sure I will greatly improve by the time I leave."

Thalia nods, and checks out the window for where they are. "We are almost there. You may wish to look out the window for the next part."

Taking the witch's advice, Bill stands up and moves closer to the window. The ship has stopped now, rocking lightly with the waves. He hears a chime, just as the ship shudders and starts sinking. Shifting his balance somewhat, Bill looks out the window, only to be half-flung into a nearby chair as the ship gains speed rapidly.

"Merlin's beard," Bill whispers, gazing out the window as they sink beneath the waves. Surrounding them, there is marine life, even merpeople in the distance from the look of it. He can see two people on hippocampi back attempting to keep pace with the ship. They wave upon spotting Bill, and fall behind.

The descent of the ship is smooth, even if it occurs faster than Bill had been expecting. He watches in awe as the ship breaches through a barrier, moving from water to air without breaking the surface of the sea.

"Is this a bubble-heard charm variant?" Bill asks, gazing downward as the ship cruises above the city of Atlantis.

Next to him, Thalia nods. "Similar, I suppose. But it's done through wards and runes and all sorts of magic. We don't quite know how it works. It's one of Poseidóna creations; his best, by my thinking."

"It certainly is something," Bill says as the ship comes to a stop. Thalia leads him off the ship and onto a wooden pier.

"The tomb is relatively nearby," she says, and leads Bill down streets filled with people and magic. However, fairly quickly, the crowds start dropping off and the number of people decreases. Thalia waves at a witch standing beside a gate, who nods at them. "We're almost there," she assures Bill. "This is the area that only those taking part in the expedition. So far, we've managed to break into the first tunnel that leads to the tomb, but not much more."

They enter the tunnel, lit with runes and charms. The magic plays havoc with Bill's senses, and he gazes around in wonder. The tunnel is decorated with images across the walls, telling stories of Poseidon – it reminds him very much of an Egyptian tomb.

However, as he reaches the door of the tomb, warded shut and decorated with runes, he pauses. "What does the inscription say?" He asks Thalia.

"Here stands the resting place of Poseidon Olympian. To those who are welcomed, you will be unharmed. To those who come unwelcomed, death is the least of your concerns," Thalia says.

Bill hums and closes his eyes, concentrating. The magic is strong here, but the subtle nature of the wards in front of him – those are what he's trying to sense. Like the boat, the magic around him is unfamiliar. They're weaved together, as if they are one, but they don't seem fixed, but malleable. It's clear that they are made to be changed, even if they don't let anyone change them. Bill nudges them with his magic, and finds himself slammed away from them. He rocks back on his heels, letting his grasp over his magic fade.

"Dangerous," he murmurs. "But… they don't seem like normal wards or like any of the general tomb curses I've come across."

Thalia nods. "We've been having trouble trying to break them for those exact reasons. They aren't responding to any of the normal spells we use for such wards, curses, and runes."

Muttering a few words and waving his wand, Bill watches as runes start glowing along the frame of the door and the door itself. He crouches, taking a closer look at the runes at the base of the door. "The translation of the words of the door," he says slowly, "how sure are you that 'resting place' refers to a tomb as opposed to a home? The runes here… in conjunction with each other seem to be based on intent, whilst the others are on protection and warding."

"Zeus' lightning bolts!" Thalia curses. "That makes so much sense! We've been going about this the wrong way. Come, we need to get to the others and tell them this. We could break through that door this week!" Laughing, Bill follows the Greek curse-breaker. So far, this trip appears to be rather educating and enjoyable. He wonders what treasures Poseidon's home contains – they'll be unique, if nothing else.

He can't wait to get through that door!


End file.
